'It Feels Awesome': NASA's Christina Koch to Set New ISS Record

Daryl Cohen

The Northrop Grumman's C rocket launched Cygnus capsule from Wallops Island and is expected to reach the station by Friday.

As if being an astronaut aboard the International Space Station weren't cool enough, NASA's Christina Koch will become the agency's second explorer to spend almost a year inside the orbiting laboratory.

The Cygnus spacecraft was sent aloft via an Antares 230 rocket.

The spacecraft will remain attached to the space station for approximately two months before departing with up to 7,700 pounds (about 3,500 kg) of cargo for disposal, according to Northrop Grumman. This included the NASA-sponsored 3U CubeSat called Student Aerothermal Spectrometer Satellite of IL and Indiana CubeSat (SASSI2) and 60 ThinSats sponsored by Virginia Space Flight Authority.

In late September, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will take her first flight with cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and United Arab Emirates' Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, a Roscmosos spaceflight participant who will return with Hague and Ovchinin in October.

The launch took place properly; the first stage separated in three minutes after the start.

A Nikon D5 was used to snap the shot, with a 17-35mm zoom lens, looking through a window of the International Space Station over the sea between Wales and Ireland.

"As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, this is a timely tribute to name Cygnus after Roger Chaffee, a respected pioneer of the Apollo program. These advanced capabilities allow Cygnus to maximise its potential for both the Space Station and commercial partners".

Another two new experiments will scrutinize aging-like changes in many astronauts on the space station, including changes to their arteries, and examine effects of spaceflight on the function of antibody production and immune memory.

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